Five teenage boys are facing life in prison after being accused of throwing a stone at a van that went through the windshield and killed a passenger.
Kenneth White died on 18 October while being driven home by a co-worker in Michigan. They were heading south on the I-75, a major highway, when the driver said he saw a large stone coming towards his van.
The stone smashed through the windshield before hitting Mr White in the face then ricocheting into his chest, Robert Pickell, Genesee County Sheriff, told ABC News.
Kyle Anger, 17, Mark Sekelsky, 16, Mikadyn Payne, 16, Alexzander Miller, 15, and Trevor Gray, 15, have been charged with second-degree murder.
Mr Pickell said the teenagers went to McDonald’s after the alleged incident on an overpass. Police later found around 20 stones strewn on the highway.
The teenagers made their first appearance in court on Tuesday morning, with all five pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder and malicious destruction of property.
Erwin Meiers, a defence lawyer for the group, said: “On behalf of my client, we will wait for the facts to play out as to the culpability of all the defendants in this matter.
“This unfortunate situation will affect all of the parties for the rest of their lives. There are no winners here. My client is innocent until proven otherwise.”
Michael Manley, a second lawyer for the accused, said: “This case is a tragedy of epic proportions. The public is rightfully outraged at this senseless loss of life. We only ask that people reserve final judgement until the facts can be sorted out in a court of law.
"We are confident once the details are learned as to each individual’s role, we will be able to fairly resolve this case with Prosecutor Leyton’s office.”
Mr White’s fiancée said she wants Mr Anger, the teen accused of actually throwing the rock, jailed for life, though she would try to forgive them, WJRT reports.
"I know that's what Kenneth would have wanted. It's going to take time, a lot of time," she said.
